I always laugh and say if you need a recipe for something it is probably in Dining on a Dime. We tried to cover every thing in it. Here is our Italian Seasoning mix from out of there. We also have things like shake and bake, taco seasoning, seasoned salt, pumpkin pie spice, cajun and so much more. That’s why we say the book more then pays for itself.
This recipe makes a good amount so you can half it or it stores for at least 3 months or more.

You can add or take away to this recipe easily. For example I don’t ever have coriander on hand so I wouldn’t use it and I don’t use onions in my spaghetti so I would add 2-3 tsp. of onion powder to mine.

Pam here is a general one. You can leave out the things you maybe don’t like or use on a regular basis or adjust it to your own taste. For example I don’t usually have paprika on hand and would leave that out, I don’t have dried mustard so I would just add a squirt of regular mustard to it as I was mixing it to the hamburger. To my sloppy joes when I am making them, I like to add a couple of Tablespoons of brown sugar, some bar b que sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

I make quick Sloppy Joes just by adding bottled BBQ sauce to my browned hamburger. BBQ sauce has been a sale a lot lately for about 79 cents a bottle. I use about half, and then usually stir in a little water. Simmer about 10 mins. and it’s ready!

The easiest and cheapest way I’ve learned to make sloppy joes from my gramma is:brown your ground beef with salt and pepper, a dash of garlic powder, drain, on low heat add cheyenne pepper and regular catsup. I just sprinkle some in. Simmer, mix and wella! Tastes so yummy! PS Don’t add too much cheyenne or it’ll be too hot.

Katie, I purchased a hot air pop corn popper at WalMart not too long ago. It cost me around $20. You might look at Goodwill or other thrift shops for one. As you said, microwave popcorn is expensive and has a lot of fat in it. I have also tried putting regular pop corn in a pyrex bowl with a glass lid and popping it in my microwave. It didn’t pop too well for me but possibly I did not set the popping time for long enough. You might give this method a try. Good luck

You can pop corn on a stove too. If you have Dining on a Dime the recipe is in there. You pretty much put a little oil in a pan add 3 kernels of popcorn, turn on high, cover with a lid. When that pops add more popcorn, cover, shaking often. As soon as it stops popping it is done. This is the short version of it.

I purchased a whirly pop myself, and use coconut oil. the air pop corn just had no flavor, and I do not like microwave popcorn because they just have too much yuk in the oils and its gross. since I purchased the wirley pop we make popcorn so much and the flavor is so outstanding. and coconut oil is very good for you.

question from a small town in Canada cook.
I found a recipe for loaded baked potatoe soup. I want to give it as gifts in gift baskets and was wondering if
powdered butter and powdered sour cream are usual items I could find in a bulk store or would it be a specialty item I would have to order from online someplace.
the soup sounds so good and I have all the ingredients but those 2. A lot of the recipes on line call for this but haven’t had a chance to get to the city to try and find them.
any help or suggestions for substitutes would be helpful.

I have seen these type of things in places that specialize in emergency preparation or camping, but I would think you could experiment with the recipe and find the correct amount of fresh ingredients to add. Powdered ingredients are more convenient, but many mixes have fresh ingredients that are required.

I love these homemade seasonings! I have also found all of these spices and herbs at very low prices in and in larger quantities in stores that cater to the local Hispanic community. If you’re making these seasonings yourself, you’ll really save money. A nice little collection of homemade seasonings also make great gifts.

They do Jeanne. They are great to add to a gift basket of some kind too. Just to give everyone a heads up for those of you who have Dining on a Dime we have these recipes plus a whole section on gift baskets and gifts in a jar so don’t forget to check in there for ideas and in a bit we are coming out with a Kindle book Homemade Christmas gifts with this same type of thing in it.

For you new comers too keep wandering the site because we what a ton of ideas on here for homemade gifts of all kinds and don’t forget Gifts in a Jar book.

I have to say that I have had both your books (Not Just Beans and Living On a Dime) ever since they came out and they are the ones I use constantly. I have been cooking for my spouse for 50 yrs and you taught me some things I didn’t know. Everyone should have them.

Thank you Joyce. Telling us you us our cookbook on a regular basis always is so nice. We didn’t want it to be a book that you could only use for 1-2 recipes and worked hard to make sure it wasn’t one of those types of books and coming from an experienced cook is even better. Thanks again for being so nice and taking the time to tell us.

I make my sloppy joes by browning hamburger meat, then adding a can of tomato sauce (8 or 15 oz depending on the quantity of meat).and then some brown sugar. The brown sugar gives it a nice sweet flavor. We put it on hamburger buns and serve with chips and pickles.
Yummy!

Glad you all are ok! I also keep a month’s supply of non pershiable food,water and extra batteries on hand. It seems we always have an issue with the power when it rains! sounds crazy but it can storm and we have power but let it pour down rain from a tropical system and we lose power! I also keep plenty of water on hand and I also keep a extra supply of my meds just in case.

A long time ago our home was taken by a tornado. We were off visiting family. When we returned, we were homeless and most of our things were broken, water and fiber-glass damaged, or completely gone. We were extremely grateful, however, because we were not there when it happened. The baby bed was in pieces. What would have happened to the baby if we had been home?

I have been a saver ever since. People call me a prepper, a derogatory term given by the ignorant. Would they not take action if they had been rendered homeless by a natural disaster? Or would they stay helpless, expecting someone else to take care of their needs?

And now the government calls people like me extremists. And yet they have preparedness ads on TV. Go figure.

Don’t worry Patricia you are not an extremists you are just nice and prepared. One thing I try to do is I keep a whole emergency kit in my car too. A change of clothes, shoes, sleeping bag,water, food, blankets etc. that way if I am away from home and all is taken I will have at least a few things. I started doing this about a year ago because I kept seeing people lose everything while away from home and started thinking my emergency supply would do me no good in these situations so decided to keep some things in a second location.
I know this would be hard with large families but even a small backpack stored at a family members home could help a little.

How funny you all mentioned this. My husband and I are waiting for the after Christmas sale at Menard’s so we can buy the large Christmas Storage Rubbermaid bins. We are going to pack one for each of our family in case we run in to any trouble. We’ll have gallons of bottled water in them and some other essentials. All great ideas! You are not an extremist, just practical.

One thing too I can’t remember if I mentioned it or not, when packing things to take with you in an emergency make sure the bags or containers you are taking are easy enough for the women and children in your family to care in case they have to. When you can use things like containers with rollers, back packs or old suitcases with rollers too. I also keep a small fold-able light weight doly with bungy cords by the things I may have to take with me. Also I try to pack my “memories” that I store in smaller boxes I can easily carry because in case of flash flooding or some natural disaster I want to be able to lift them to put in my car.

Here in Maine we are rarely hit very hard if at all with hurricanes and tornadoes but we have had severe flooding before now and we also had a severe ice storm south of us way back in 1997 or so. We were fortunate in our area because we got snow instead of ice…trust me snow is much easier to deal with than ice. But it crippled the rest of the state that many people had no power or heat for days and some people couldn’t evacuate their homes even because they had animals that the shelters couldn’t take or the roads were so bad they couldn’t get anywhere. I’m glad you wrote about this because no matter where you live you never know when an emergency might come up and it’s so much better to be prepared! A lot of people in Maine had the mindset oh it can’t happen here until it did happen here!

Marcia you are right snow is much easier to deal with then ice any day. When I moved from KS to ID everyone thought I was moving to this awful place with bitter winters. What I found out was the winters in ID were so much milder there then in KS because they had very little if any ice just beautiful fluffy snow and no humidity to make the winter feel bitter cold. Here we have awful winds, ice and humidity that makes if feel 20 degrees colder then it really is.
I have always said people in cold climates should have some kind of wood burning stove. I feel very insecure right now because I don’t have one in this house. I am a little covered though because my son who lives not far from me has one and I don’t have animals or anything like that that I need to worry about leaving so I could easily go to his home. I would feel better if I had one here.

Don’t forget to turn down the temperature on your freezer and fridge if black outs threaten. Also fill both with 2 liter bottles of water to act as ice packs and keep them there unless you fill the appliance to save power when it is on. Put a drop of water in those recycled 2 liters if you are going to drink it, and dispose of them yearly such as over the Christmas holiday so you remember to do so. I store mine near the washer so its easy to recycle doing laundry. I was stuck without power for a week during a 100 degree plus DC humidity week. By keeping the windows closed and covered from 6 AM (yes 6!) to 10 PM when I opened them for cross ventilation the house was bearable even for a Siberian Husky dog wearing a mink like coat. Having a Siberian HUSKY IS having a little stove in the house, if only I could per
suade him to cuddle with me.

I was wondering if you had a recipe for Shake and bake? I hope you do. I know I have seen a really good one but of course when you want it you can’t find it. Please let me know if you are the ones that have it. I have your cookbook and it wasn’t in it. Thanks
Pam

Pam we do have it and it is in the Dining on a Dime under the Miscellaneous Recipes or look under Shake and Bake in the index. For those of you who don’t have the book the recipe is
4 cups flour
4 cups soda crackers, crushed
4 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
3 Tbsp. paprika
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Mix well and store indefinitely in refrigerator in a covered container. Coat chicken pieces with mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Do not reuse coating you have placed the raw chicken in.

Great ideas. I am still on the hunt for Cajun seasoning without salt. There is way too much salt in the commercial ones. I looked at the price for a packet of Good Seasons salad dressing mix and I think that is just too much to pay for a minor ingredient. Is there any substitute I could make?

Madge here is our Cajun Seasoning from Dining on a Dime. We have a great number of mixes and seasonings that you can mix and adjust to your own needs. This recipe has salt in it but just leave it out totally or adjust it to what you want. Like many of our recipes you can add or take away what you need to on the ingredients.

I loved the rotisserie spice from McCormicks,and was able to buy it in a huge container at Sam’s Club or BJ’s. Now they only have it in the tiny size at about 3 times the cost. Any copy-cat combination that I can use that you know of.